(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to foldable desks or tables and more particularly to a foldable desk with a pivotally supported top plate.
The desks or tables to be used in offices, hotels or hospitals or to be kept in the household for supplemental use are desired to be foldable into a compact shape from the standpoint of reducing the space of storage which is required when they are not used.
The foldable desks are generally required to be easy to fold and set up, stable in folded and set-up state, and compact when folded. In addition, the desks have to be easy to carry to the places where they are needed.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
One type of known foldable desks employ a foldable top plate consisting of a number of plate sections which are connected with each other by hinges or similar means. This type of foldable desks are easy to handle when folding or unfolding the top plate and can be folded into a compact form. A detrimental drawback inherent to such top plate is that the hinged joints have so small a resistance to a load that care has to be taken when folding and unfolding the top plate not to damage its joints. In addition, its fabrication process is complicated due to the necessity for jointing the respective top plate sections and supporting them on a horizontal plane.
Those problems can be solved by using a top plate of a single piece which is supported rotatably about a horizontal axis for rotation between folded and unfolded positions. In such a case, it is preferred that, in unfolding the desk, the top plate is rotated downward from the standpoint of easiness of handling and stability especially in a case where the desk is to be moved for use in various places without being fixedly installed in a particular place.
In rotating a top plate into a vertical folded position from a horizontal unfolded position or vice versa, a wide space is required where the axis of rotation lies along the length of the top plate. On the other hand, a top plate which has an axis of rotation across its width can have only a limited length since the outer end of a lengthy top plate will hit on the floor to block further rotation in the middle of the folding operation. Moreover, a top plate with the axis of rotation crosswise at a median point between its opposite ends has a difficulty in stability during use and in folded state.
With the foregoing in view, the present invention has as its object the provision of a foldable desk which is easy to handle when folding and unfolding the top plate and which can be folded into a compact form.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldable desk employing a top plate which is foldable by downward rotation about a crosswise axis located closer to one end of the top plate, which top plate being foldable flat on a frame to occupy an extremely small floor space.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a foldable desk employing a lengthy top plate which is pivotally supported on a support frame at a position between its opposite ends and rotatable downward into a folded position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a foldable desk employing a top plate which has a crosswise axis of rotation at a position closer to one end thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a foldable desk which employs at one end of the top plate a support frame with a substantial width in the horizontal direction and at the other end a leg which is foldable onto the top plate.
It is a supplemental object of the present invention to provide a foldable desk which has, a short leg at the outer end of the top plate in addition to a main leg of an ordinary length to serve as an ordinary desk also as a bed desk.